White night

Italian

An abundant blanket of immaculate new snow covers the fields and forests of this cold night.
The white shawl, like a soft bed spread, shrouds and hides the earth and the plants.

Silence reigns everywhere, and the full moon is like a lighthouse, illuminating the scene with its clear gleam.  The air is still, nearly absent, and the profound black sky is bright with millions of far-away stars.

At the edge of the forest, at the foot of a robust tree, a hare uses rapid but patient gestures to search for a bit of food in the snow.
His long ears, like attentive sentinels, register the silence of the forest.  And the large eyes rapidly glance all around, scrutinizing the immobile details surrounding him.

A few jumps on the snow and the path of light footprints creates new tracks.

There, among the bushes, is a nut.  The hare carefully moves closer to it, and begins to circle the shell, taking care not to make noise.

Suddenly, a new perfume invades his nostrils. The hare raises his head and throws a look at the white field which separates him from a hill.  In the distance, at the edge, he notices the origin of a soft whiff of clear smoke, floating straight towards the sky, without disturbance.

First a brief minute of reflection, then the hare decides to cross the snow-covered field.
His quick paws move like mechanical springs.  Small white puffs of snow rise up with every step. He makes a brief stop halfway across, his body still and his ears vigilant. Now, his eyes perceive a vague glow, warmer than that of the moon, white, reflected by the snow.

His race begins again. The base of that line of smoke is near.

The trail of footprints that begins from the forest and crosses the adjacent cleaning now heads towards a covered woodshed where the hare stops to catch his breath, studying the new environment.

The aroma which guided him until now is intense... a mix of burning wood and cookies in an oven.

The yellow light of a window projects an irregular trapezoid shape on the snow.
Sounds of plates and human voices, muted by the walls, reach the outside of the house, a small wood and stone refuge.

A short distance away, there is a frozen fountain, carved from a tree trunk.  The high part of the fountain presents a small elevated horizontal space With measured, expert jumps, the animal reaches this platform and stands still, glazing in the direction of the window.

A woman is setting a beautifully decorated table, while a man refreshes the fire with new wood.   At one angle of the table a small girl with curly blond hair is using brightly colored pencils to draw on a sheet of white paper.  To the side, a large green tree is full of ribbons and bright, shiny decorations.

The hare feels an intense sensation, as though there is imminent danger.  Turning slightly, his glance returns to the girl and he notices that she is staring at him.  The first fear leaves space for  reciprocal surprise. Then the girl lowers her eyes and moves. She gets down from the chair and disappears from the view of the hare, who waits for her return to the empty place at the table.

After what seems like long moments of waiting, the door to the house opens, slowly and silently.  The curious hare scrutinizes the blade of light which enlarges, anxiously fighting with the instinct of self-preservation which impels him to flee.

The figure of the girl appears, moving slowly, and she lowers her body to place something at the entryway.

The hare is immobile on the fountain and observes with great interest. When his eyes are accustomed to the light filtering through the door, the animal understands that there are carrots near the entry. The child gathers one and sweetly holds it towards the hare.
There is another moment of hesitation, then he leaps down from the fountain.

The girl understands his intentions and smiles. She puts the carrot next to the others and slowly backs away. She is kneeling and has her arms crossed on her knees, smiling broadly and satisfied about her success.

The hare, finishing the first carrot, passes to the second.

Inside, as the woman sets the table, she senses the chill air which glides into the room, bending the flame of the candles and creating a strong draft in the chimney of the fireplace.

"Maya, what are you doing at the door?" she asks in a raised voice without distracting herself from the table.

The hare holds still for a second, then dashes away, passing the fountain, near the woodshed, then across the white field, finally disappearing into the forest, among the heavy snow covered branches of the trees.

The girl, still at the door, stands up.  After following that forced retreat, she waits a moment, expecting something else to happen. With a sound, a large nearby evergreen drops snow from its branches, raising a white cloud from the small avalanche. Then, everything returns silent.

The child lingers, observing the remains of the carrots at the entry.  Her Mother reaches her and places a hand on her shoulder.  "What is it, Maya?"... and she responds "Nothing Mom. Now, I'll close the door."

Maya is happy for the small gesture.  She was able to help a poor hungry frightened being. They had never met before, yet the hare felt that he could trust her. His trust was rewarded.

It is midnight Christmas Eve.
The family unites to celebrate birth and the sentiments of brotherhood and sharing. In Maya's heart there is an angle with a few carrots and a hare who jumps closer in the white night...